2025

Alongside other authorities and organisations, Darlington Borough Council and Creative Darlington, were involved in the development of the current Cultural strategy for Tees Valley 2016 – 2026 with aims and objectives shown here.

Tees Valley has declared its intention to be the UK City of Culture in 2025 (www.keycities.co.uk/tees-valley-bid-city-culture) and the Tees Valley Combined Authority has allocated resources to lead programmes of work, including the Tees Valley Great Place programme, and included Culture within its Investment Plan (page 28).

The Tees Valley authorities (Tees Valley Combined Authority, Darlington Borough Council, Hartlepool Borough Council, Middlesbrough Council, Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council, Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council) meet regularly to explore our cultural strategy and Tees Valley has fantastic cultural attractions, events, festivals, artists, creative people and organisations, heritage and natural heritage to support our ambitions. Darlington cultural strengths, particularly as a town to visit, a railway town and a theatre town, can be part of the Tees Valley UK City of Culture programme in 2025, subject to development of a successful Tees Valley proposal. Cities which have successfully hosted European or UK City of Culture programmes, have secured longer term benefits, extending beyond the year of their programmes.